by Soraya Lane
Her mom smiled and reached for her hand. “Just promise me that you’ll actually take a proper vacation next time.”
“Hi Jack.”
Maddison froze. Her dad had a smile back on his face, like he knew he finally had an excuse to escape garden duty.
After the night she’d had with Jack, she shouldn’t be feeling on edge about seeing him, but his presence only meant one thing. That he was seeing their marriage plan through to fruition. And she didn’t know if that scared her or pleased her… or both. Maybe she should have written up the damn list he’d been talking about, a contract that protected both their intentions. Not than any contract would ever protect her heart.
She fixed a smile on her face, not wanting her mom to realize anything was troubling her. Other than the fact she had to leave way sooner than she should have been.
“Hey Jack,” Maddison managed.
His big smile put her at ease. “Thought I’d find you all here.”
She looked him over, up then down. He was dressed like he always had been – worn jeans, shirt with the sleeves pushed up, and a well-loved looking pair of boots.
“Not wrangling cattle today?” she asked.
He laughed, eyes crinkling ever-so at the corners. She loved that when Jack laughed, she didn’t have to wonder if he was acting or think that he could be secretly mocking her instead of being genuine. He was open and honest with her.
“I actually came past to have a word with your dad,” he said, pushing his hands into his pockets and facing her father. “You have a minute, Gus?”
“Will it get me out of gardening for the afternoon?” her dad asked.
They all laughed, her mom included.
“If you’ve got a cold beer, I’m sure I could make an excuse to help you out.”
Maddison took a deep breath, watching them walk toward the house before looking at her mom. “What do you think of doing a nice dinner tonight, since I’m going tomorrow? Maybe we could have Jack over.”
Her mom’s eyebrows were drawn together, like she knew something was up.
“Maddison, is something going on that I don’t know about? This feels suspiciously like when you and Jack were kids and you’d tell your father about a disaster before I knew anything about it.”
She gave her mom a wink. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Maddison Marie Jones.”
All she could do was laugh. “You really think saying my name like that will have the same effect it did when I was a kid?”
Her mother shook her head. “No. But it was worth a try.”
Maddison reached for her mom, gave her a quick hug. Something had happened to her, changed within her since she’d come home, and being emotional wasn’t really her usual thing. “Can I help you in the garden?”
If her mom was surprised she hid it well. “Sure,” she agreed, kneeling back down and pulling her gloves on. “And you can tell me all about this project that’s taking you back to the city.”
Maddison could talk about work. She might be fed up with her demanding boss, but she always loved the events she worked on, and it would keep her mind off whatever Jack was in the middle of telling her dad.
Or asking him…
CHAPTER NINE
MADDISON stared at her hands and grimaced. She had black beneath her fingernails, and she hadn’t had dirt there in way too long. She’d forgotten what hard work it was being in the garden, or doing anything on the land. The most she’d tended to lately were half-dead potted plants on her balcony.
“You know I’m kind of like a plant hospice,” she told her mom.
She received a confused look in return. “What do you mean?”
Maddison laughed. “Well, I’ve tried flowers and even herbs, but it’s like they come to me to die. You know, like they’re being sent to a hospice.”
Her mother laughed. “It’s like you’re not even my daughter.”
They both looked up at the same time. Jack was walking toward them, and he was chatting away to her dad like they were old buddies. She guessed they were. She was the one rattled, not them, anyway. Jack was probably finding this whole thing way less of a big deal than she was, and from the casual way they were sauntering over, she wasn’t exactly picking up a stressed or nervous vibe.
“So what secret business have you two been discussing?” Her mom disliked not being in the know.
Her dad gave her a look that made Maddison smile. It was always the peacemaker, liked to keep the women in his life happy, but right now he seemed to be enjoying having a secret. And knowing how much it was irritating his wife.
“We’re going for a walk,” her father said.
“A walk where?” Her mom stayed put, one hand on her hip.
Jack was smiling at her, gave Maddison a wink that would have made her knees knock if she’d been standing.
“Never mind the walk. We’ll make tea or something.” Her father gave Jack a look that had sorry written all over it. “These two need a few minutes alone. Now.”
That made her mom move. Fast.
Maddison wiped her hands on her jeans, standing as Jack came closer. He had his hands pushed deep in his jean pockets, smile still directed at her. Her stomach swirled, felt like the ocean was rising and falling within it, as she met the intensity of his gaze.
This was it.
Jack was going to ask her, she knew it. Being nervous was stupid, childish. It was a marriage of convenience they’d both agreed to, not an out of the blue proposal, but it was still enough to make her entire body thrum with anticipation. Because even though this was supposed to fake, it felt a whole lot more exciting, more thrilling than when she’d been proposed to for real.
“Maddison?”
She took a deep breath, glanced back at the house.
“They’re inside watching, aren’t they?” Jack asked.
Maddison nodded. “I can’t believe we’re actually doing this.” She couldn’t believe that he’d been inside and asked her dad for her hand in marriage. “You asked him, didn’t you?”
“Come here.” Jack stepped toward her, reaching for both her hands.
His thumbs moved back and forth, caressing her fingers as he clasped her hands warmly in his. She looked up into his eyes and saw the boy she remembered, even if he was in a man’s body that had taken her so by surprise.
“Maddison,” he started, holding her hands up to drop a kiss to her skin before dropping on one knee.
Oh my god. When he’d said he would make it real, she hadn’t been expecting a proposal on bended knee. A chaste kiss in front of her family, perhaps, but not this.
“We’ve known each other since we were kids, and I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become. Will you marry me?”
Maddison felt like she couldn’t breathe. She was staring at him, hypnotized by his eyes, by his words. Was lost.
“Maddison?”
She blinked, forced herself to answer him, even if she could only squeeze out a whisper. “Yes.”
Jack stood, still holding her hands, but this time he leaned in to her, his cheek against hers as he murmured into her ear. “If you don’t want to do this, if you’ve changed your mind…”
“No.” Her voice was more powerful this time. “I mean yes, yes I want to marry you.” She hadn’t expected it to feel so real, to feel so deeply for the man standing with his body to hers.
“Yes?” he asked, like he still wasn’t sure.
“Yes, Jack,” she replied, taking a tiny step backward so she could look into his eyes, could place her palms against his cheeks. “I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life.”
He laughed, shaking his head slightly. “You had me thinking you were ready to bolt.”
“Never. I just…”
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she said, slinging her arms around the back of his neck and drawing him closer.
Jack’s eyes were fixed on hers, like he was waiting for a but. Only it wasn’t going
to come, because no matter what was going through her head, she wasn’t going to ruin this.
“Your mother’s burning a hole through me she’s staring so hard,” Jack muttered.
She laughed, looking over her shoulder and catching her mom in the act. Her dad was nowhere to be seen, no doubt grumbling to try to get her mom away from the window.
“I think we need to head inside.”
He tugged her closer, dropping a slow, sweet kiss to her lips that she hoped wasn’t just for the benefit of the person watching them. Because it felt real to her. “Can’t we just stay out here a little longer?” she asked with a groan.
His lips left hers with a murmur and he dropped a kiss to her head instead, slinging his arm around her shoulders at the same time and tugging her back toward the house. “No,” he told her. “Now is about your family enjoying the fact that their daughter is marrying their handsome neighbor.”
“Handsome, huh?”
Jack gave her a nudge in the ribs. “Would you prefer gorgeous? Suave? Mesmerizing…”
Maddison groaned and pulled away from him, only to be grabbed around the waist and tugged back to his side.
“Annoying, infuriating…” she told him.
She burst into laughter as he held her tighter. But the words he whispered in her ear made her laughter die in her throat.
“Once you’re Mrs. Gregory, I’ll punish you for talking to your husband like that.”
Maddison looked into his eyes, saw the amusement dancing through his gaze, the smile tugging at his lips, but it still sent a shiver through her body.
Because part of her couldn’t wait to be Mrs. Gregory. And that told her their marriage of convenience had the potential to mean a lot more to her than it might mean to her husband-to-be.
“Hey, did you hear from your boss again?”
Maddison took a deep breath, pushing her worries aside. This was Jack. She had to remember that, and no matter how badly she might fall for him, he’d never hurt her. At least not intentionally.
“I need to head back tomorrow.” She sighed, wishing she didn’t have to run when her tyrant boss ordered her to. But she had a job to do, and she took her work seriously, didn’t want to let her clients down. “I could be gone a week.”
“And then you’ll be all mine for a while?”
She gulped. All his? A voice in her head kept reminding her that she couldn’t be all his, that she had to keep at least a little part of her to herself, but she knew that might prove impossible.
“Then I’ll be all yours.”
He nodded, pushing open the door for her as they reached the house. “Does that mean I need to make some space for you at my place, or are we going to wait until our wedding night?” Jack’s serious expression made her laugh.
Heat flooded her body, an electric current that reminded every part of her of the night they’d shared. Waiting wasn’t something she’d even thought of, and from the heat in Jack’s gaze, he was hoping she’d say no.
“Play your cards right, and you might be surprised.”
If his gaze held heat before, now it was on fire. Something had changed between them, something powerful that could just be lust, but right now felt like a whole lot more.
She was falling for Jack, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
“I think it’s time we told your mom our news.” Jack’s voice was low, husky, and she knew exactly what was on his mind.
Maddison took his hand, linking their fingers, and marched them toward the kitchen.
Right now was about family. Later she could think about Jack, and not a moment before.
Jack had thought being around Maddison’s family might be uncomfortable now, but it had been a stupid thought. They’d always treated him like he was one of their own, and tonight wasn’t any different. Except for the fact that he kept catching his wife-to-be sneaking glances at him from across the table, and her mom kept patting him on the shoulder every time she passed like he was a child in need of praise.
Now he was watching Maddison as she glared at her sister, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she was giving her a kick under the table, thinking no one would notice.
“Everything okay, ladies?”
Maddison’s eyebrows raised at her sister, before she settled her gaze on him. “Just trying to keep Charlotte in line,” she muttered.
Jack smiled, remembering how the Jones girls had bickered when they’d been kids. It seemed like age hadn’t made a difference, only they’d become more sophisticated in their methods.
“I was just asking Maddison if your proposal had anything to do with the fact you need a wife right now. Seems awfully convenient.”
Maddison opened her mouth, no doubt to blast her sister, but he stepped in before they could argue.
“I’ll have you know, Charlotte, that there is nothing convenient about the feelings I have for your sister.”
Charlotte gave him a smile, grinning at him over her glass even though Maddison was glaring daggers at her.
“I think it’s time for a toast,” Maddison’s father announced, raising his glass, oblivious to what was going on at the other end of the table.
Jack smiled at Maddison before raising his own glass, drawn to the way both girls stopped as soon as their dad spoke. So different to his own father – who had demanded attention in a way that neither of his sons had respected. This man was so loved by his daughters that it was obvious in every look they gave him, in the way they spoke to him and he to them.
“Jack, you’ve always been like a son to us. Katherine and I would like to welcome you to our family, and I’m sure we can all agree that Maddison needed someone like you to put that smile back on her face where it belongs. You keep that smile there, and you’ll never be without a family. You hear me, son?”
Jack stared at the man talking to him. He swallowed. Hard. And then again. An unwelcome taste hit the back of his throat, a rare burst of emotion that took him so by surprise that he didn’t have a chance to stifle it. He would do anything he could to keep that smile on Maddison’s face, even if it wasn’t love that was bringing them together.
When his father had died, he hadn’t felt even a hint of sadness, of emotion. And yet here, sitting at a table surrounded by people he’d known all his life but who weren’t his family, he was on the verge of crying like a damn baby.
Jack held his glass high before taking a long, slow sip. “Maddison was my best friend as a kid, and now she’s going to be my best friend again. Only this time she’ll be my wife too.” He took another deep breath, refusing to let anyone see the emotion within him. It had been too long since he’d allowed himself to feel this way, he’d never really grieved for the family he’d lost. Even though his dad had been an asshole, it still hurt to be an orphan. “To Maddison.”
When he looked across the table, at Maddison holding her glass high and meeting his gaze, Jack felt a single tear escape at the corner of his eye. She saw it, he knew she did, but she never so much as blinked in acknowledgment.
And that’s why he knew he could trust her, that he was doing the right thing. Because he needed someone he could trust in his life, needed a partner by his side, and Maddison was the only person he could be himself with, open up to. The one person who knew the truth of his past, of the pain, of what he’d been through. The one person he’d always been honest with.
With Maddison, he was safe.
“So when are you two lovebirds going to tie the knot?”
Charlotte pulled him from his thoughts, made him refocus.
“I’ll leave that to Maddison.”
The warmth in her gaze made him smile.
“Well if it’s up to me, it’ll be sooner than later,” she said with a laugh. “Once I’ve finished planning my next work event, I’ll be all over our plans.”
“Small, though, right?” he asked. He wasn’t into big get-togethers.
“Small and intimate. Just for our family.”
Maddison reached
for his hand over the table, and he knew it wasn’t just for show.
“That’s my girl.” And he meant it.
Maddison sat on her bed, staring at herself in the mirror above her dresser. She’d sat often as a girl, staring back at herself, wondering what the future held, and now she knew. She’d made her decision, and she was happy with it.
Except for the fact that now she had to decide what to do about her job. Where to base herself. Whether she was ready for a life back here on the land, or whether she would spend the rest of her days commuting between both lives. Her former and her future.
She brushed her fingers across her lips, left them there as she thought about Jack. About the kiss he’d placed there before he’d said goodbye, of the way his palm had cupped her cheek.
What they had might be convenient, but it was also real.
Which meant she needed to deal with work and get back here. Make sure Jack knew how she really felt about him. And be with her dad, too. Because she hadn’t missed the catch in his breath, or the way he’d been slower tonight than he had been since she’d returned home.
CHAPTER TEN
MADDISON blew out a big breath and looked at the room. It looked incredible.
“Happy?” Zoe called out.
She turned and smiled at her assistant. “I think they’re going to love it.”
“They’ll be arriving within the hour, want a drink?”
Did she ever. “Please. I’ll meet you at the bar in a minute.”
Maddison did a final walk through the room. They’d asked for extravagant and she’d delivered, or at least she hoped she had. She’d turned the room into a winter wonderland for the party, adorning every square inch of the room in white and silver for their Vodka on Ice theme. The only thing that wasn’t going to seem wintery was the temperature – she doubted any of the women would arrive in more than a cocktail dress, which meant she’d been working on getting the temperature perfect too.